Ukrainian best-selling author, Andrey Kurkov speaks to France 24 • FRANCE 24 English

Key Concepts

• Non-fiction vs. Fiction in Wartime: The shift in literary focus from creative fiction to documenting reality through diaries, essays, and non-fiction.
• European Integration: The transition of Ukraine’s geopolitical focus from a post-Soviet state to a nation deeply integrated with European democratic values and security frameworks.
• Resilience and Adaptation: The psychological and practical adjustments of the Ukrainian population, including "normalizing" the war experience and preparing for infrastructure failures (e.g., heating).
• Cultural Decoupling: The rejection of the Russian language in Ukrainian public life and literature, framing it as the "language of the enemy."
• Geopolitical Realignment: The perceived shift in Western support, with Europe filling the void left by waning U.S. political interest.

1. The Reality of Writing in Wartime

Andrei Kurkov describes the immense difficulty of maintaining a creative practice while living under constant threat.

• Methodology: Kurkov writes primarily in cafes, maintaining a constant state of vigilance. He notes that he physically moves away from windows during air alerts or explosions.
• Shift in Genre: For the first 2.5 years of the full-scale invasion, Kurkov found it "sinful" to write fiction, viewing it as a pursuit of pleasure inappropriate for wartime. He pivoted to non-fiction, diaries, and poetry, which require high accuracy and attentive observation of the country’s suffering.
• Recent Works: Despite the trauma, he completed The Lost Soldiers (2024) and a new short novel focusing on the contrast between occupied and Ukrainian-controlled territories.

2. Historical Parallels and National Identity

Kurkov draws a direct line between the current conflict and the Ukrainian War of Independence (1917–1921).

• The "Putin Dream": He argues that Vladimir Putin’s objective is identical to the Red Army’s historical goal: to "clear Ukraine of Ukrainians" and transform the nation into a subservient province or a "new Belarus."
• Societal Unity: Unlike the fragmented Ukrainian armies of 1918, Kurkov asserts that modern Ukrainian society is unified behind the President and the military. He emphasizes that for Ukrainians, "freedom is more important than stability."

3. Geopolitical Shifts: The U.S. and Europe

Kurkov provides a nuanced perspective on international support:

• U.S. Disengagement: He notes a "slow erosion" of U.S. attention, suggesting that political figures like Donald Trump have lost interest in the conflict, shifting focus to other global hotspots like Iran.
• European Empowerment: Paradoxically, this abandonment has galvanized Europe. Kurkov argues that Europe is now backing Ukraine "to the hilt" and is increasingly considering the creation of a unified European armed force, in which the battle-hardened Ukrainian military would be a central pillar.
• Democratic Values: He observes that the war has forced Europe to return to its core democratic values, moving away from the previous two decades of prioritizing cheap energy and trade with Russia over human rights.

4. Cultural and Linguistic Shifts

• Status of Russian Language: Kurkov states that the Russian language has acquired the "permanent status of the language of the enemy." While not legally banned, it is socially and commercially excluded; bookstores refuse to stock Russian-language books, and authors are increasingly publishing in Ukrainian translations.
• Global Reach: Interestingly, Kurkov’s non-fiction regarding the war has found success in unexpected markets, such as Brazil, indicating that the Ukrainian narrative is resonating globally, even in regions historically aligned with Russia.

5. Resilience and Future Outlook

• Infrastructure Challenges: Kurkov highlights the collapse of the Soviet-era centralized heating systems. He notes that the previous winter was the "harshest in Ukrainian history," with citizens forced to survive in freezing temperatures.
• Individual Responsibility: The current survival strategy involves a shift toward self-reliance, where families must independently organize their own heating and resources for the coming winters.
• The Role of the Pen: Kurkov argues that while political articles are important, literature (novels and non-fiction) has a "longer life" and a deeper impact on the hearts and minds of international readers. He believes the "best novels" about this war will be written at least a decade after the conflict ends.

Notable Quotes

• "Writing fiction is a pleasure. And you cannot really look for pleasure in the time of the war when you have explosions and people killed and wounded." — Andrei Kurkov
• "Ukraine never had an American dream like Russia. Ukraine always had a European dream." — Andrei Kurkov
• "The Russian language has now a permanent status of language of an enemy." — Andrei Kurkov

Synthesis

The interview portrays a nation in a state of "daily normality" regarding the war, where intellectual and cultural life has been forced to adapt to extreme conditions. Kurkov’s perspective suggests that while the physical war is a struggle for survival, the cultural war is a struggle for identity—one that is actively decoupling from Russia and anchoring itself firmly within the European sphere. The resilience of the Ukrainian people is characterized by a transition from state-dependent infrastructure to individual self-sufficiency, while the literary community serves as a vital conduit for maintaining global attention and empathy.